On the drive into work this morning, I had a conversation with myself about how I wasn’t going to rush throughout the day but rather take my time to be with people and do great work. In feeling the pressure of a Monday, thinking about all that needs to get done this week, I wanted to remind myself to take the time to enjoy the work instead of being anxious about everything that’s not done.
Like you, I respect people who can get work done. Like you, I put a lot of pressure on myself to do good work and a lot of it. And probably like you, I tend to live in the future, focusing on what’s next on the to-do list instead of being present in the task now. The best work gets done while being present, because you can slow yourself down enough to pay attention to details. Details are everything, and so is timing.
If we’re rushing about, we’ll miss details and miss opportunities. It’s ironic: we often justify being harried as our attempt to NOT miss opportunities. But that’s not usually how it works. Taking care of people takes patience and being present, it requires paying attention to details and timing. A key conversation at the wrong time, or without enough time, can undermine the relationship. Oftentimes being patient is about preparing for the right time.
A small story in the Gospel of Mark retells of a conversation some people had with Jesus about why his disciples weren’t fasting when the disciples of the Pharisees and John the Baptist were fasting. Jesus replied to them that it wasn’t the right time yet. Timing is everything. While Jesus is present, his disciples don’t need to fast; once Jesus returns to the Father in Heaven, then his disciples can fast.
Jesus uses two simple illustrations about the proper way to repair a tear and the proper way to store wine to make a profound point in response to their inquiry on his not fasting.
“No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. Otherwise, the new piece will pull away from the old, making the tear worse.
“And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, the pour new wine into new wineskins.”
With Jesus and with others, there is a right time and a right way to get things done. Like a new patch on an old garment or new wine in an old wineskin, there is a way that works in the very short-term, but will ruin your work in the end.
The proper way may take more preparation, more time, more attention to detail, but the results of the work will hold up over time. Timing is everything, and haste makes waste. Especially in marriage, in caring for your children, and honoring those you work and serve with in your community (and even when it comes to making wineskins for new wine).
Who are you being impatient with? With whom has your timing been off? Where in your life has haste been making waste? What details are you skimming over? What is Christ inviting you to do to be more present and pay more attention to those God has placed in your life?
There are some ways in the world that just don’t work: like storing new wine in an old wineskin. May you connect with wise friends who will help you to patiently do the next right thing in God’s eyes in the right way, in the right time.
In your work, in your home and in your community, may you be patient as an act of love.
